Bully
by penaschmidt
Summary: Carlos is being picked on by a bully and one day it goes too far. James is there to protect him.


_**So, I got an idea for a Jarlos one shot, so I did it. Sorry that its kinda crappy and that the beginning is pretty much all Carlos, but James does come in eventually, I can't help it, I love my little smidge too much. Btw, any of the racial slurs I have used, I in know way believe they are okay, I even had to google "Mexican slurs" because I only had ever really heard them on T.V. So yeah, enhoy!**_

"Hey wetback, why don't you go back to Mexico?" Ozzy, the Palmwoods school bully insulted Carlos for the fourth consecutive time that week, walking into the classroom and leaning down getting right in his face. The racist comment being whispered so softly in Carlos' ear that he was the only one to hear it. He pretended he didn't. He knew from experience at his old school in Minnesota that it was best to keep his mouth shut. No matter how much he wanted to scream that he was born in Florida and had never even been to Mexico. He simply held his tongue like he had been doing all week. Ozzy sitting at his desk with a satisfied grin knowing that he had hurt Carlos.

Carlos hadn't wanted to tell anyone what had been going on since Ozzy had arrived at the Palmwoods. After all it was just a few hateful words and like his mother always said 'sticks and stones Carlos, sticks and stones'. And he didn't want anyone thinking that he couldn't handle this himself. He was certainly tough enough to not let it get to him, contrary to what the tears he cried at night might be saying. He was surprised James hadn't noticed. Maybe he had done a better job at muffling his sniffles than he thought.

Carlos had assumed that Ozzy would get tired of Carlos not reacting and eventually stop his endeavour of making him miserable. But unfortunately for Carlos, the endless taunts of 'border hopper', 'beaner' and 'spic' became relentless. They were never loud enough for anyone else to hear, so nobody else was aware the Carlos was being picked on. He was suffering in silence. For a while it was easy to hide, after all how was anyone supposed to know if Carlos wasn't telling them. Until Carlos was walking out of class alone.

Kendall and Logan had walked out of class straight away with Jo and Camille because they had planned to spend the afternoon together. James had to stay back to talk to Miss Collins about some difficulty he was having with an assignment so he had told Carlos to go on ahead and that he would meet him at the apartment. Ozzy heard James telling Carlos he was staying behind and knew this was his chance to teach the little wetback a lesson. He smirked at Carlos with a glint in his eyes that screamed evil was coming, making the short brunette uneasy. He rushed out of the class and headed to 2J as fast as he could. Evidently not fast enough. Ozzy had caught him.

"Aww, where are all your friends?"

"Please just leave me alone Ozzy"

"What did you say to me you little Mexican"

"I'm Venezuelan, not Mexican"

Ozzy shoved Carlos against the wall holding him off the ground. "I don't give a shit what you are; nobody wants your kind here"

Carlos was scared out of his mind, this time it wasn't just words, this was the first time Ozzy had gotten physical with him. He had only just realised that this was the first time since Ozzy had started at the Palmwoods that he had been without the guys. It was then he also understood that Ozzy had been waiting for this moment. He couldn't avoid it, he knew what was coming. Ozzy was going to beat the crap out of him. And that's exactly what he did.

Ozzy had given him some rough punches to the stomach and one mean right hook to his face. That was gonna leave a big ol' black eye in the morning. Both Ozzy and Carlos ran when they heard Mr Bitters coming shouting "what's going on?" Carlos was in an incredible amount of pain, but he knew that if he didn't disperse he was probably going to be the one put to blame about all the ruckus and on top of that he STILL didn't want anyone knowing about his little problem. He pulled up his hood as he was limping back to 2J, not wanting anyone to see his bloody lip. He opened up the door to the apartment quietly, seeing Mrs Knight in the kitchen, panicking. Luckily though she was the only one there, James was still not back from talking to Miss Collins. He made his best attempt at covering his face without looking Mrs Knight's way and called to her in a broken voice "Mrs Knight, I'm not feeling well, don't worry about me for dinner tonight, I'm just gonna lay down."

Mrs Knight turned around to respond, but Carlos had already sped walked, painfully into the bathroom to clean up his face. _I'll check on him later_, she thought to herself. Just as she was thinking that James walked in the door.

"Hey, sweetie, how was school?"

"It was good, where's Carlos?"

"He's gone to lay down; he said he wasn't feeling very well"

_That's odd; _James thought to himself, he had seemed fine earlier. "Okay then, well I guess I'll go down to the pool until dinner then."

James walked down to the pool slightly confused about what was going on with Carlos when Ozzy approached him, asking how Carlos was in a voice so unlike him. He wasn't sure if Ozzy was being genuine or a little sadistic. James always sees the good in people though so he assumed that Carlos had told Ozzy about how he was feeling a little off instead of telling James himself, so he simply told him that Carlos was just laying down. Ozzy gave a creepy smirk, that James was a little unsettled by, but continued to the pool nonetheless, reminding himself to check on Carlos later.

Back in 2J, Carlos was lying face down in his bed, quiet sobs racking his body, from both the physical and emotional pain he was currently experiencing. He heard Mrs Knight call out that dinner was ready, and she must have texted the other boys, because they all simultaneously walked through the door together. Carlos couldn't go to dinner in this state, so he just hoped that Mrs Knight would assume he had fallen asleep and was too sick to come to dinner. He couldn't be so lucky.

Mrs Knight popped her head in after knocking gently on his door, softly saying "Carlos, dinner is ready sweetie, are you gonna come eat"? Carlos pretended to be asleep, not thinking about what Mrs Knight would do. She walked over, moving his hood down off his face to feel his forehead for a temperature. Carlos inwardly cringed as she brushed her hand over his sore face. She mumbled a "hmm, he's not warm, but his eyes looks a little swollen, maybe its hayfever" to herself, ignoring the fact that it wasn't hayfever season. She quietly walked out of the room, leaving Carlos feeling relieved that he wasn't caught out.

James had been focusing on Carlos the whole night. He wasn't sure whether to believe this whole 'feeling sick' thing, after all he had been noticing Carlos act a little strange lately, so while him and the boys were watching a movie after dinner, he brought it up.

"Hey, do you guys think Carlos is actually sick or something else is going on?"

"Like what James? It's Carlos, he always gets sick, he has a crappy immune system, you know that" replied Doctor Logan. Kendall had been too interested in the movie to put in his two cents.

"Yeah, I guess you're right".

And that closed the matter. James was still a little worried, especially after the weird encounter with Ozzy earlier, but he was placated enough to just enjoy the movies with the boys. Later that night when they were all going to bed, James thought of asking Carlos, but he couldn't bring himself to wake him up, because what if he WAS sick? James' sleep was as restless as Carlos' that night.

Carlos woke up extra early that morning, to inspect the damage. What he woke up to was the most monstrous black eye he had ever seen, and he was a hockey player. He knew he had to cover it up, so he searched the bathroom for some of Mrs Knight's makeup and luckily found something good enough to cover it up and quickly scrambled back to bed, because he knew from experience that Mrs Knight would come check on him. As he lied down back in bed though, he suddenly became very fearful. What was Ozzy gonna do or say to him, he couldn't possibly go to school today. So when Mrs Knight walked into the room, he let out a cough. She walked over to him concerned and thread her fingers through his soft wavy hair, asking him how he was feeling.

"I'm really tired and my tummy really hurts" he lied.

"Okay sweetie, how 'bout you stay home today so I can keep my eye on you"

"Okay Mama Knight, thanks."

She got up from Carlos' bed and went to wake James up, only to realise he was already up and getting his clothes out from his closet, so she left the room. James looked at Carlos sadly and called him out on his lie. "You don't cough a single time all night, yet as soon as Mrs Knight walks in you all of a sudden have a tickle in your throat. You're not sick, you're lying".

"No I'm not, just because I don't have a cough doesn't mean I'm not sick, did you not hear me say my stomach hurt, and you know what I'm also starting to get a real bad headache, just go to school James"

"Whatever". James wasn't sure whether to be mad that his best friend was lying to him or concerned that he felt like he needed to. In the end, the concerned feeling was stronger because he just couldn't be mad at Carlos and this feeling remained all throughout the morning. Suddenly James had an idea. A great moan was heard throughout the classroom, and everyone looked over at James. Kendall and Logan rolling their eyes because they thought James was just jealous that Carlos got to stay home.

"What's wrong James?" Miss Collins gently prodded.

"I feel really sick, I think I am coming down with the stomach bug Carlos has".

Mrs Knight had spoken to Miss Collins about why Carlos was not coming to school today so she knew there was something going around in that apartment and she also knew how close James and Carlos were so there was a good chance he had gotten sick too so let him leave class early.

When James walked in the apartment door, Mrs Knight was obviously surprised to see him, asking him why he was home so early. "My stomach really hurts, I think I may have caught Carlos' bug, I'm gonna go sleep it off".

"Okay, sweetie" she mumbled with concern. Now two of her boys were out for the count. She hoped Kendall and Logan didn't soon follow.

But James wasn't going to go lay down like he said. He was on a mission. He had woken up earlier in the morning when Carlos originally got up and had heard him rummaging in the bathroom. Feeling like that was a good starting place, James started his search there. It didn't take him long to find what he didn't even know he was looking for. James grabbed Mrs Knight's makeup that Carlos had used and worked through the problem in his head. Despite what people might think, James is actually very logical and put two and two together quite quickly bursting into Carlos' room.

"Someone hit you didn't they? You used this to cover up a bruise. Who was it? Where did they hit you? Is this the first time?" James rattled off question after question, stunning Carlos. He had no other reaction than to start crying, he was just so overwhelmed. James ran to him immediately to comfort him, asking his questions a little calmer this time. And Carlos had no choice but to tell, James had figured it out, like he had secretly wanted him to do this entire time. He told him everything through his sobs, the name calling, the beating, the fear of going back to school today. "…he said that nobody wants my kind here", Carlos finished.

James stood, complete and utter anger coursing through his veins. Carlos had experienced racist slurs before but never before had he been beaten for it. James saw how much Carlos was hurting and he knew he had to do something. He stormed out of the room and out of the apartment, Mrs Knight calling after him, in utter confusion.

Carlos going to chase after him, Mrs Knight stopping him however when she saw the tears streaming down his face. "What is going on?" And so Carlos blurted it all to her just like he had done with James because he realised that he couldn't hold it anymore. That and the fact that the makeup had smeared off in his sobbing frenzy and the black eye was now clear as day. She held him while he continued to cry.

James walked into the Palmwoods classroom like a mad man. He ignored Miss Collins asking him what he was doing back in class and went straight to Ozzy. "Never fucking hurt him again!" James screamed and picked up Ozzy from his seat and practically body slammed him into the ground. "JAMES DIAMOND!" Miss Collins yelled at him, but he once again ignored her and headed back up to the apartment to comfort Carlos. Logan and Kendall stared with wide eyes and then proceeded to give Ozzy dirty, threatening glares, guessing that he had done something to hurt Carlos, the only person James cared enough for to lose his temper like that. The classroom was in disarray and Miss Collins didn't know what to do, so she took Ozzy to the nurse and dismissed the rest of the class.

When James had arrived back to 2J, he walked over to Carlos, who Mrs Knight was holding and scooped him up into his arms, whispering "Don't worry, I handled it, he won't hurt you again". Carlos instantly calmed down wrapped in the arms of his protector.

"James, what did you do?" asked a worried Mrs Knight

Just as she asked this, Logan and Kendall ran into the room crazily yelling, asking things like what he did and commending James for the way he threw Ozzy to the ground. Mrs Knight finally working out what James had done.

"James, while that was an admirable thing that you did, you know I have to ground you right, violence is never the answer" Mrs Knight scolded, although she was actually quite proud of James for sticking up for his smaller friend, she wouldn't admit it.

"I don't care, he deserved it, look what he did to Carlos" James retaliated whilst Carlos was still clutching to his shirt.

"That he may of, but that still doesn't excuse it. Take Carlos to your room and stay there, I will try to talk to Miss Collins to make sure she is clear on the situation. Logan and Kendall, why don't you join them"

The three boys nodded and all headed to Carlos and James' room, James carrying the small boy. When they got to the room and James and Carlos were sat on James bed, he whispered into Carlos' ear "I want you here." And for the first time since Ozzy had moved into the Palmwoods, Carlos smiled a real smile and replied with a "thanks that means a lot".

Mrs Knight had managed to convince Miss Collins that James' attack on Ozzy was provoked but nonetheless couldn't stop the 3 day suspension that James received because it was a school rule, but she ensured them that Ozzy would also be receiving a suspension , but for 5 days. So, James had gotten into big trouble with both Miss Collins and Mrs Knight, not to mention his own mother giving him a lecture, but he didn't care, Carlos was hurting and he sure has hell wasn't gonna let that keep happening. He protected him, like he always had.

_**Sorry if that was sub par, I just wanted to get a Jarlosy one out.**_

_**Anyways, review if you want, or not, whatever floats your boat**_


End file.
